viii, 647 pages : 22 cm

The study of family crests and medieval coats of arms, is a science and art steeped in the tradition of familial honor and shaped by the cords of ancestry and origin. This book deciphers the world of symbols, knights, and history, bringing back a time when all gentlemen were soldiers and a coat of arms was the most cherished heirloom

Includes bibliographical references and index

The origin of armory -- The status and the meaning of a coat of arms in Great Britain -- The heralds and officers of arms -- Heraldic brasses -- The component parts of an achievement -- The shield -- The field of a shield and the heraldic tinctures -- The rules of Blazon -- The so-called ordinaries and sub-ordinaries -- The human figure in heraldry -- The heraldic lion -- Beasts -- Monsters -- Birds -- Fish -- Reptiles -- Insects -- Trees, leaves, fruits, and flowers -- Inanimate objects -- The heraldic helmet -- The crest -- Crowns and coronets -- Crest coronets and chapeaux -- The mantling or lambrequin -- The torse or wreath -- Supporters -- The compartment -- Mottoes -- Badges -- Heraldic flags, banners, and standards -- Marks of cadency -- Marks of bastardy -- The marshalling of arms -- The armorial insignia of knighthood -- The armorial bearings of a lady -- Official heraldic insignia -- Augmentations of honour -- Ecclesiastical heraldry -- Arms of dominion and sovereignty -- Hatchments -- The Union Jack -- "Seize-quartiers."

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